5 Ways to Get Beyond the Blank Paper When Journaling

One of the biggest hurdles with any type of creative process is the Blank Page. It’s like trying to tap a beer keg without getting the air out of the line. It starts with spits and sputters until you reach the gold, then it flows with ease and consistency. Rabbit hole: Not sure why I used that analogy, I don’t even drink beer. Don’t get me wrong, I totally enjoy a few sips of my husband’s ice-cold wheat beer or Guinness on tap, but I’m a wine gal . . . Anyway, what follows are 5 ways to get beyond the blank page. 

1 . Choose Your Muse: Decide your journaling purpose. Is it to capture memories or to unpack life’s challenges and issues? Perhaps you want to use it as a self-discovery tool or to improve your communication. It might even be a combination of these or something I haven’t mentioned.  Knowing your journaling purpose will help create alignment in your head and coherency on the page.

2. Say No to the Inner-Critic:  Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation unless you decide to go public with your journal entries. If your inner critic grabs hold of the process, you can lose continuity and flow. Just write and trust that you will lock- in and get what you need to say on the page. You can edit later, if you want to. There’s no shortage of articles written about shitty first drafts. 

3. Commit and Start a Routine:  Decide that you are going to journal every day or 5 days each week or whatever you feel confident and comfortable committing to. Set a minimum goal of writing 100 words: show-up and do it. As you persist, your brain will see that you value the task and show-up more and more to help you accomplish your journaling goals. 

4. Create a List: Create a list of subjects to write about such as gratitude, my big ideas, successes, highlights, favorite moments, etc. Just in case you are wondering what’s the difference . . . highlights are more general. Example:  I went to Dustin’s gig today, so and so was there. It was packed. Everyone enjoyed his singing. I felt so proud, blah, blah, blah.  Favorite moments: When Dustin was singing Your Face, by Josh Groban it touched me so deeply that I started to cry.  At just the right moment, when I thought I was sitting there all alone, Jacob (my oldest son) sat down next to me, and held me as if to say, “I get you, and I got you, Mom.” It was a perfect, perfect Mom moment shared with both my sons that I will never forget.   

5. Start where you are: Don’t fret over the right start. Seeking the perfect start can jam up your flow. It’s okay to start in the middle or with whatever words come out of your pen. Just trust that you will find your way to what you are actually trying or needing to say. I have started entries with “I don’t know what to write. I don’t know what to write. I still don’t know what to write . . . Well, what would you write if you did know what to write? If I knew that, I’d be writing. You are writing so what’s next? I don’t know. I’m going in circles. But, you’re writing and the more you write, the more you will know what to write. So, how about we just write about today and what you did today . . . and flow from there?” You get the idea. And, if you have your trusty list you can always pick a topic and begin writing. 

While these are all useful tips the most important thing to keep in mind is that what you write, when journaling, doesn’t even matter. No one is going to read it. It is for your eyes only, unless you decide to share it. Stick with the routine and you will push through your resistance and be able to flow your thoughts and ideas more easily on to the page . . . you might even discover your inner Hemmingway.

 Happy Journaling!